I liked Amir's play tonight. Great stint. But I tend to agree with Micro in thinkiing that Amir and JMax have not lived up to the hype.

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The hype for Amir was not that great. Most fans in other cities would have no idea who he was if he didn't get a few starts at the beginning of this season. He spent significant time in the D-league. What player with hype does that?

When fans start seeing Rasheed and Antonio playing together and think to themselves that there is no power forward in the game...you know Michael Curry is starting to win people over to his side of the smallball conversation.

Sheed might be the worst end of game defender in the history of the NBA.

I won't soon forget the feeling of my eyes bulging out of my head at the start of the game as I realized that DET doesn't have the size to match up with OKC.

I would have no problem sacrificing wins if the team was becoming more versatile and more players were able to execute the core philosophy of the team. There are none of those things now. It is all hodgepodge.

If they struggle like this against OKC, what will the UCLA legend Dan Gadzuric do to them?!?!

I would have no problem sacrificing wins if the team was becoming more versatile and more players were able to execute the core philosophy of the team. There are none of those things now. It is all hodgepodge.

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i have to disagree - you could easily argue that we are becoming more versatile. tay, rip, and aa are all getting experience out of position, and we're incorporating both small and big lineups. we could just play traditional all year, but this gives the players experience with different styles of play and different types of players to guard.

stuck was predictably over-aggressive in the 1st half coming off of the 40-point game, and pushed a little too hard. but he played great in the 2nd half and picked his spots much better. when westbrook peeked to the left and stuckey immediately drove hard to the rim for a layup, that's good recognition, and more importantly shows his concentration to act immediately.

i agree with lee in that i think we let that lineup stay too long on the floor, but then again they did build the big lead so hindsight is 20/20 there. i mean, maybe after OKC scored a couple quick baskets we could've called a quick T and brought back sheed/stuck, but no biggie. we're learning and it was a fun game to watch, just gotta figure out a way to sustain those leads.

I just don't know what to write. Curry should have called a time out with about 8 ahead.....anyone could see that the thunder were surging....its like he waits too long to make decisions. I have ittle confidence in curry's ability to make decisions on the fly...that is what coaches do..

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I agree that he has a harder time of it and I have commented about this weakness.

Only two factors can really help:

Going over the game tape with concentrations on movement surges. Isolate only on this aspect and take detailed notes. Do this for all the past games. Understand the following:

Who gets hot (starter or bench)? Do they transfer energy or merely stay hot until they miss? If momentum seems to be building, who do you stop with heavy defensive pressure. Most might think to stop the guy who is hot, but one might want to make sure the leader stays out of it. When the leader gets hot, he is usually the heavy carrier.

Sometimes after a timeout, you might want to break further rhythm. How might this be done? It might be good to remember that the opposing team might be higher after the pep talk from the coach. So, if you have fouls to give, foul a poor FT shooter immediately: this slows everyone down. Now you are getting into Phil Jackson territory.

Hit them hard with full court pressure, especially if the the guards are not the hot ones. This can be a little touchy if your crew is weak on quickness and have not practice this routine. Again, in Phil Jackson territory: you have a special squad that does just that. They don't have to play long to become effective.

I could go on about some of these routines and I am sure others have some favorite try-ons.

The key is now controlling tempo (and player knowledge), disruption through planned and practiced affects. You have a very distinct advantage as insightful coach when you hit quickly and then get out. The merry-go-round of head coaching changes certainly will favor those that deal with these things and have a team history (think Pop and Jackson). GM's of course never think along these lines, unless they have an owner to who thinks they (the GM) can also coach. The latter is known as the, a little mouse effect.

2. Using an assistant coach or designated person to routine this process and sharing knowledge. For the Pistons, this of course means Cowens and who knows the relationship each of the coaches have with one another.

A 2 point win at home against a 4 and 16 team...
Getting our guys to play other positions/out of position will deversify their game but can they use it come P/Os ? It aint gonna work.
I like the idea of trying new things but not to spite yourself.

i have to disagree - you could easily argue that we are becoming more versatile. tay, rip, and aa are all getting experience out of position, and we're incorporating both small and big lineups. we could just play traditional all year, but this gives the players experience with different styles of play and different types of players to guard.

stuck was predictably over-aggressive in the 1st half coming off of the 40-point game, and pushed a little too hard. but he played great in the 2nd half and picked his spots much better. when westbrook peeked to the left and stuckey immediately drove hard to the rim for a layup, that's good recognition, and more importantly shows his concentration to act immediately.

i agree with lee in that i think we let that lineup stay too long on the floor, but then again they did build the big lead so hindsight is 20/20 there. i mean, maybe after OKC scored a couple quick baskets we could've called a quick T and brought back sheed/stuck, but no biggie. we're learning and it was a fun game to watch, just gotta figure out a way to sustain those leads.

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Trust me, hindsight was not needed. I knew what was needed immediately, when we still had a double digit lead.

Folks want a new coach who coaches differently than Flip. They got it.

Folks want to play the kids, even if it costs games, they got it.

They pay lip service to early struggling for postseason reward, they got it.

Honestly, I would get so mad in the playoffs, because I felt like the whole season was meaningless, and then losing in the playoffs with so many off nights felt like being cheated.

Now I am excited to watch all 50 or so regular season games, and the playoffs will be a bonus. When I said I wanted Flip gone, play the kids more, and develop the team during the season, this is what I meant, and this is what I expected.

Either I was being realistic, or I am just a damn fool (don't answer that).

Great clutch game winning shot from AI. Great win.

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Micro, here is the post I was commenting on. Read the 2nd line you wrote. You quoted my response to this, not my game report.

Not arguing here at all. You just apparently lost track of the conversation. No problem. I am just making comments on what I see in front of me. I pay little attention to who wrote what for the most part. I took the time, to be nice, to find the quote that I commented on. Appreciate it or not. Hope you can enjoy the game.